Upon releasing her 2013 Mixtape ‘Cut 4 Me’, Kelela never truly basked in the glory of the hype train that ensued. Her refreshing take on dismantling 80s and early 90s R&B into trippier, dislocated sounds found a small but vociferous legion of supporters. Since then, Kelela has set her own mellifluous pace, honing her craft in the peripheries and releasing the odd track here and there.
What is evident from her show at XOYO is that her material has found its place in the music ether, the crowd surprisingly receptive to the older mixtape cuts. Opening with signature track ‘Bankhead’, Kelela coos her way through summer bliss, the singer making a statement of intent with the line “I need to let it out”, as if she’s ready to blaze her trail once again. The hazy introduction gives way to ‘Send Me Out’, reworked by frequent collaborator Nguzunguzu, half-way through becoming something more fervent, the crowd lapping up the tempo change, already a highlight in their eyes.
Kelela’s stage at XOYO is one of stark bareness; a DJ and Kelela herself the sole occupants of the small, intimate setting, all smoke and pyrotechnics creating a heady concoction for tracks that ooze an almost sensual pang of angst and tension. It’s this exposure (and full disclosure) that befits Kelela’s electronic experimentation. Initially wary that a more authentic, live sound would supplement her performance, it soon becomes evident that there’s no need for obscuring her vision.
A vision all the more affecting through the clarity and simplicity of Kelela’s voice. It’s not an instant knockout voice, but that’s not the point. Harking back to 90s girl-group harmonies, Kelela’s vocals can be warm and honey-sweet whilst also cutting a bit deeper, take ‘Do It Again’ – revamped into a house-inflected affair, Kelela ushering her lover to keep up the relentless pace. A message she delivers to the audience as well, occasionally reminding them that she wants to see movement, and the audience abides willingly.
While Kelela insisted on distressing a genre of music on her original cuts, favouring loops and distorted synths, it’s all the more impressive that there is an awareness of London’s underground heritage. Reining in the off-kilter approach slightly, what’s left is a set with an underlying, discerning groove, most tracks re-worked into club-ready accessibility. ‘Go All Night’ segues effortlessly into the furious droned-out bass of ‘The High’, the tempo slowing, Kelela cooing in a lower register ripe with tension.
Certainly, Kelela is a multi-faceted show-woman, her stage presence flitting from dainty and distressed to playful and seductive at the drop of a beat. Her performance mode is occasionally peppered with anecdotes, her appreciation for “her second home” not feigned, but entirely earnest, the singer not taking for granted London’.
It’s admirable that the theatrics are kept to a minimum in favour of a more honest, vocal showpiece. Not to say that a more pronounced visual injection of her love for glossy electronics would be welcome next time round. The penultimate track of the set is the Arca-produced ‘A Message’, just one of two new tracks performed from the upcoming ‘Hallucinogen’ EP. A definitive highlight, Kelela’s lovelorn despair is on full display, backed by sentient, slow-burn drums, which leaves you wishing more new tracks would have been spilled for a fully-amenable crowd. Still, these are very minor gripes in otherwise consummate version of Kelela’s very own ‘floor show’.
Words: Shazaib Hussain
